At A Glance
by CaptainVampireKing
Summary: 'Throw it down, look away. Don't be scared, it's okay. Settle down, set it right. Don't be scared, it's alright...' But it's not. It's not okay, and it's not alright. How can it be when she can't even tell her best friend that she's in love with her? (My first story. Action kicks off right it the first chapter, so fair warning. Summary might change as the story goes on.)
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome one and all to this story I'm about to tell. This story is based off of the song 'At A Glance' by Message to Bears. While 'Mountains' was a good song for Life Is Strange, I also thought this one was good as well and so I figured I'd make my first story an emotional and meaningful one. I have no plans for this, so I'll literally be writing as I go.**

 **...**

She's pinned against the wall, her wrists restrained above her head in a single hand. Rushed but gentle kisses are traced down the side of her neck and her head lolls to the side. A breathy sigh dissipates into the open air.

 _R-right there..._

Pale, slender fingers tighten at her waist and she feels the heat emanating from where they rest. It's a good kind of burn, the kind that tingles at the ends of your nerves and make your muscles twitch uncontrollably despite your best efforts.

 _Don't stop..._

A nibble on her earlobe makes her bite her lip. Warm breath huffs against the shell of her ear. She shudders. A single syllable murmurs from her lips. The fingers move from her waist to underneath her shirt, sliding a ghostlike touch over the soft skin. If they pressed any harder, they would surely feel the storm of butterflies raging in the pit of her stomach.

 _Please..._

She wants to move her hands. She wants to run them over the body of her lover, tangle her fingers in the disheveled mop of hair that covers their head and falls in front of their eyes, wrap an arm around their waist to force them closer. She craves contact, she craves friction. They're inches too far from her and the light graze of their bodies against each other is torture. Not enough.

 _Closer..._

The hand beneath her shirt finds it way up her torso. It curves to run a nail up the very center before veering off to the right. It runs across the right side of her chest. It knows her body well and doesn't have to try very hard when searching for the one of many pleasure points located on her body. It encircles the hardened peak beneath the satin covering. She whimpers in response.

 _I n-need you..._

Lips leave a trail of fire down the side of her throat and come across her pulse. They linger and press harder there. Before long, they give way to teeth that nip teasingly at her and her back arches a bit. The butterflies increase. She feels her skin, her pulse, drawn in between the lips. It quickens. She'll need a scarf tomorrow.

 _So bad..._

The hand palms her chest and her body threatens to slack. The other hand finally releases her wrists and her arms fall into place around her lover's shoulders first. Her fingers extend and brush against the ends of her hair as the hand that released them instills a death grip on the hem of her shirt. It tugs impatiently. The response is her arms lifted above her head, followed by her shirt. It's tossed without a thought over a shoulder and lands beside a discarded purple beanie.

 _Don't leave me..._

A knee parts her legs and two hands swiftly hook under her own knees. She's hiked up and pressed harder against the wall with the knee more effectively placed between her thighs. The hands go to her hips and they urge her to move. She lets out a desperate mewl at the sparks rushing from her core to her abdomen. She can sense them colliding and tensing. Soon enough, she doesn't need the hands to guide her and she's moving against her lover''s knee without hesitation.

 _Not again..._

Her named is hissed against her lips, husky and heavy, and she throws her head back against the wall. It creates a dull thud that echoes in the room. The hands, no longer needed at her hips, busy themselves at her chest. She's not big, no more than a B32-36, but it's never complained about. In fact, she's compared to 'a nice handful'. Or her lover's personal favorite, 'two freshly picked oranges.'

 _I...can't afford to lose you..._

The knee rides up and it hits the mark that makes a cry surface at the back of her throat, but it's swallowed back. She gasps out her lover's name instead and they groan in response ( _-Make that noise again...-_ ) resting their forehead on her shoulder. The back of her bra is suddenly undone and the offensive clothing tumbles out onto the floor. Skin to skin contact is made and she worries her lip between her teeth. Her heart is pounding through the blood rushing in her ears and she's lost count of how many times it's skipped.

 _Fuck._

"Unh, C-..." She fails at her sentence, but it doesn't go ignored. They move away.

"Max."

 _If I lose you..._

Everything comes out in that one name, that one word. Her heart flutters and her nails dig into Chloe's shoulders. The bluenette doesn't even flinch, but she knows there will be light crescent bruises developing by the time she's released. She doesn't mind. She loves it.

"I..." _want you._

A needy kiss is shared, followed by a thrust into her crotch. She moans aloud. It's understood and the reply is Max clawing at her back. There will be red lines in their wake. Chloe's tongue slithers its way into Max's mouth and seeks out hers, sliding against it. She hums and Max whines, a strangled high pitched sound. Her stomach knots up and she buries her face in the crook of Chloe's neck. Her teeth clamp down on Chloe's collarbone on their own accord and she hears Chloe's breath catch.

 _I'll lose myself..._

Max grinds herself harder on Chloe's knee and a rough shudder ripples down her spine. She gives into her cry of pleasure and the sound makes Chloe's blood feel as if it's igniting after being laced with gasoline. The heat courses her veins, practically mimicking the liquid pleasure racing through Max's. The pressure beneath her waist coils, intensifies, and the butterflies are now a hailstorm. She clutches hopelessly to Chloe.

 _I..._

"Fuck..." Max moans pathetically. She can feel the dampness between her legs increase. At this rate, they won't make it all the way.

Chloe moves her knee away and Max groans at the loss, her high rolling away from her. Chloe has her wrists in her hands at an instant and leans in close. Love and lust hazed blues meet their match.

 _"Watch me."_

It's a command, and Max is given no option to refuse. She nods meekly and Chloe's lips crash into hers a second later. Their lips, their hearts, their breathing seems as if they're in sync. Chloe parts from the kiss, a thin strand of saliva breaking between them, and she starts her journey downward. She leaves a few other hickeys here and there along Max's body, making the young photographer squirm. In her mind's eye, Chloe imagine Max's figure a canvas and her love bites are the paint. Claiming her, creating her, changing her.

 _love..._

Max's eyes never leave Chloe as she does her work, though her eyelids flit and droop with the promise to disobey. She fights it, biting her lip hard and running her hand through Chloe's ocean colored hair when Chloe kisses her on the stomach. She barely fumbles with the button of Max's jeans and she drags down the zipper, pressing her knuckle against the crease and forcing Max's back into an arch. The pants pool at her lover's ankles and reveal a pair of gray and pink striped panties that are sporting a darkened spot in the crevice. Max's cheeks flush and she wants to look away.

Chloe catches her eyes and she feels the urgency within her own being sound off. She ignores it and hooks a finger in Max's underwear, dragging them down at an agonizingly slow pace. She couldn't help herself, she had to take in a breath of Max's scent. Her natural musk mingled with the faint smell of vanilla and peppermint and she licks her lips in absentminded anticipation. She knows her lover's taste, but it never failed to rile her up.

The blue haired punk urged her hand up Max's thigh towards her sex. Her index finger slips between her folds and Max lets out a whimper. She gears her thumb up in search of Max's clit. She knows she's found it when Max jerks forward. Smirking victoriously, Chloe places one of Max's legs over her shoulder to open her up more. She is practically glistening with excitement.

"Goddamn it, Max.." she breathes. Max flushes a deeper shade of red.

Chloe leans into Max and takes her by surprise with a hard lap of the tongue along her entrance. She trails upward and flicks at the nub protruding from the hood. A long, wanton sounds emits from the brunette and her nails scrape Chloe's scalp. Chloe gives a moan of her own at the taste of Max on her tongue. She repeats the motion a couple more times and Max's breaths turns ragged.

"Nngh, _Chloeee_..." Max pleads. "Don't tease..."

Chloe simply chuckles and decides to respect the younger girl's wishes. She wriggles her pointer and middle fingers into her entrance. Max gasps. She leans back against wall with a harsh thud. Her spine might ache tomorrow. She doesn't care. Chloe's fingers move within her, gliding in and out. It's worth mentioning that they haven't broken eye contact yet and it makes Chloe's heart clench in her chest. The way Max watches her through half-lidded eyes is almost too much.

 _y-_

She begins to curl her fingers in a 'come hither' motion, forcing Max to be the one that breaks the eye contact. Her teeth clench and a sound resembling a squeak mixed with a groan escapes her. She jumps when she feels nails pinching at her knee and her eyes snap open again. Chloe's eyebrows are furrowed in concentration.

"S-sorry..." Max pants.

The punk doesn't reply, instead increasing her fingering speed. The sensation goes straight to the pit of Max's stomach and it causes her thoughts to go fuzzy and muddle together. The brunette lets out a mumbled curse that's followed closely by a raspy moan. Chloe uses the tip of her tongue to coax Max's clit out once more. She lashes at it greedily, watching Max start keel and writhe above her. Max's jaw has fallen open slightly and weighted gasps fall from it. Her fingers twitch in Chloe's hair and her hips buck once.

"F...-uck..." she swears. The tightening force in her abdomen is returning, stronger than the last. It's nagging, throbbing at her center.

Chloe takes Max's hips squeezing modestly against her head as a first sign that she was closing in on her precipice. The second sign is Max's juices starting to run down her tongue and chin and Chloe has the bright idea to trade fingers. She remove her pointer finger and slips in her ring finger, still keeping the same pace as before. Max cries out when Chloe hits a particularly sensitive spot and her knees weaken. Chloe presses against her to keep her upright as she continues to swirl her tongue around the hardened nub of her lover, writing out her full name and loving the way Max tugs at her hair needily.

 _I can't tell you..._

Max's hips buck again and she mewls, "C-Chloe...I..." Her voice wavers noticeably and the intensified heat developed in her lower region sinks further into her core. Her walls start to clamp down on Chloe's fingers.

Chloe applies more pressure and stars explode in front of Max's eyes.

 _No, not yet..._

A single thrust in and a silent cry breaks from deep within Max's chest. She can't keep her eyes open any longer as the sensation crashes down throughout her body. Chloe slows down in her assistance of helping Max ride it out. Max's legs give way and Chloe catches her, being forced to withdraw from Max in order to do so. She lowers Max to the floor, feeling the girl's muscles trembling in the afterglow of her orgasm. Her body is colored with light blood rush and a thin layer of perspiration coats her. Her chest rises with broken breaths. The punk bites her lip.

 _So beautiful..._

 _I-_

Her eyes open. She can't breathe but she feels her chest rising and falling. She takes in nothing but darkness and she ponders if her eyes are really open before blinking to confirm. Max is gone, there's no wall that she pressed her up against. She can sense a smolder growing in her lower half.

It's hot.

Chloe sits up and runs her hand along the side. Covers, sheets. A forgotten pillow. A bed. She's in bed.

 _What the fuck, Price?_

She runs a hand up her sweat-covered forehead into her hair and ruffles it slightly. Her other hand hits something and jerks back. Slowly, she turns to look. A figure, a body, curled up under the covers. Even in the darkness of her room, Chloe can make out the mass of hair splayed out on the second pillow.

 _Max._

Max is in her bed. Of course. She spent the night.

Chloe tosses the covers back from her legs, but the cool air does nothing to soothe the ache between them. She pulls her knees up to her chest and locks her arms around them. She drops her forehead onto her knees.

 _You just had a fleshed out sex dream about your best friend._

The punk can't comprehend it.

A soft murmur and Chloe feels Max turn over in the bed, facing her. Chloe doesn't look. She can't. Another mumble and Max's hand is searching the bed. Is she looking for Chloe? Chloe picks her head up and lays back down, facing Max. Max's hand finds the fabric of her shirt ( _Did she just sigh?)_ and her fingers tighten slightly.

Chloe's heart skips but she doesn't dare move a muscle. Slowly, carefully, she lifts a hand to Max and tucks a strand of loose hair behind her ear. Max takes a sharp breath and Chloe freezes.

 _I love you._

 **...**

 **Okay, that's all I have for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed and join me again in the next chapter! Also, the thoughts slowly transition from Max's to Chloe's. I'm sure you can tell where.**

 **CaptainVampireQueen awaaaay!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, you enjoyed the first chapter enough to come back for a second? Awesomesauce!**

 **Also, I'm pushing the tornado back by a week. I wanted to keep the same canon story while adding in my own stuff, so that'll be that. Cool? Cool. Right now I'd say this is just after the junkyard scene in Out of Time.**

 **...**

 _*Five years ago...*_

 _"Chloe?"_

 _"Yeah, Max?"_

 _"What do you think about the future?"_

 _Chloe turned her head to the side to look at her best friend, and Max did the same. Blades of grass tickled the side of her face and blocked some of her view, but it doesn't matter. She chuckled softly._

 _"How far into the future?" she asked. "Gotta be more specific, Maxie."_

 _She saw the visible flinch in Max's shoulders, knowing that the girl thought she was going to say her full name. Chloe smirked. She loved teasing the younger girl._

 _"Um... how about five years?" Max said after a minute. "We'll both be adults then, right?"_

 _"Technically speaking." Chloe replied. She turned back to the sky and pretended she couldn't feel Max's gaze burning holes through her. "Five years, huh? Let's see..."_

 _Max took the chance to start. She knew Chloe would need a minute or so. "I'd like to think that I've successfully submitted a few photos into galleries around the country, getting at least one or two accepted into the floor."_

 _Chloe laughed. "You're selling yourself short, dude."_

 _"Not really. I mean, I'm pretty amateur." Max said softly. She tugged up a few blades of grass out of the ground._

 _"Okay, even if that were true, you'll get better." Chloe attempted reassurance. "I think your pictures are amazing."_

 _"You're my best friend, Chloe. Of course you do."_

 _Chloe's eyebrows furrowed a bit and she pushed herself up on her elbows, turning over on to her side to look at Max. The slightly darker blue doe eyes of her best friend blinked up at her and she swallowed subtly._

 _"I'm not just saying that because I'm your best friend, Max." she said. "I'm being super honest right now."_

 _This made Max's cheeks flush in embarrassment and flattery. She looks away from Chloe and down at her hands. "Have you figured out yours yet?"_

 _"Well, the obvious thing is that I'll be by your side." Chloe said. "Together we'll be taking on the world by storm and showing it who's boss."_

 _"Is that so?" Max grinned._

 _"Hell yeah!" Chloe said. "You'll be SuperMax and I'll be your faithful companion and sidekick! Or I could be the captain and you'll be my first mate. Like always."_

 _Max's hand had sought out Chloe's and she intertwined their fingers._ _"As long as we're together, I don't care what we are."_

 _Chloe's heart fluttered and she smiled at Max. "Well duh. I'll always be with you."_

 _"You promise?"_

 _Chloe drew an 'x' over her heart._

 _"Forever."_

 _*Present...*_

"Yo, Chloe! You ready yet?!"

Chloe stamps out her blunt in the ash tray just as she hears Max calling for her. She winces slightly and huffs through her nose.

"Yeah, one second!" she calls back.

"Well hurry up, the movie starts soon!"

Chloe goes over to her closet and slides the door open. She doesn't bother looking at the clothes that Rachel left behind. She goes straight for her leather jacket and takes it off the hanger, closing the door and putting the jacket on. She casts a glance over her shoulder to the bed. Her stomach tingles with awakening butterflies.

 _Forget it, Price. It was only a dream._

She throws open her bedroom door and turns the corner to the stairs. She sees Max leaning against the wall at the bottom, her attention to her phone until she hears Chloe's footsteps. She looks up and smiles a bit, the kind that says she's happy to see her and it makes Chloe's stomach twist, and tucks her phone into her bag. "Took you long enough."

"Hey, one does not simply look this hot without trying." Chloe says as she descends the staircase.

"Right, because you have to try." Max rolls her eyes.

 _She's only joking._

"Don't be jealous." the punk retorts with a teasing smirk as she walks by Max.

"Whoever said I was?" Max says.

Chloe scoffs and opens the front door, gesturing for Max to go out first. "Just get to the truck, hippie."

"Yes, Captain Chloe." Max says and walks out the front door to Chloe's truck.

Chloe follows her out and gets in the driver seat. She puts the key in the ignition and Max scoots forward to fumble with the radio. Chloe is officially on the road when Max settles on a station playing some song about never growing up. Max sits back in the seat and looks out the window.

The silence isn't anywhere near awkward, but Chloe's fingers tap anxiously on the steering wheel. She wants to say something.

"Which movie are we seeing again?"

 _Real fucking smooth._

"That vampire horror movie. Let Me In, I think." Max said.

"A vampire movie? You disappoint me, Max." Chloe groans.

"What, it's a good movie. It came out in, like, 2010." Max said.

"2010? Since when did the drive-in start showing recent movies?" Chloe glanced over at Max.

The brunette shrugged. "Since they realized their younger audiences don't always like movies about giant gorillas from the sixties."

"Fair point." Chloe said.

"But I think you'll like it." Max looked to Chloe. "There's blood and kids getting their asses kicked." She smiled.

"Right up my alley." Chloe laughed.

 **...**

Chloe pulls into a space and turns the truck off. Max checks her phone. "Five minutes to spare. Snacks?"

"You know it. Who goes to a movie and doesn't get snacks?" Chloe says as she opens her door. "That's high treason to the movie theater ritual!"

Max giggles. The sound rang against Chloe's eardrums. Chloe goes ahead and gets out, Max following suit. The brunette circles the car and meets Chloe on the other side. The two of them head towards the snack bar, Chloe tucking her hands into her pockets.

Over the sounds of their sneakers scuffing against the pavement, Chloe hears Max huff a sigh. She looks at her, eyebrow raised. "Something up?" she says.

"Hm? Just thinking." Max shrugs.

"Care to enlighten me?" Chloe asks.

"It's, uh, nothing that you should be worried about." Max gives her a sideways glance.

"Max, you are being so fucking strange." Chloe cuts her foot in front of Max's path, bringing her to a stop. "You know you can tell me anything."

Max bites her lip and slowly looks up at Chloe through her hair. The look is innocent, shy and nervous. Chloe finds that when she looks into the blue eyes of the photographer, she feels lighter. Her stomach tightens, her brain starts to go fuzzy, and the world revolving around Max starts to disappear.

 _Don't do this to me._

"I'm just... How are we going to see a movie when there's a tornado on the way?" Max says softly.

"That's it? That's what you're worried about?" Chloe smiles gently at the photographer. "Max, we have another week before that tornado. We can afford to let go here and there."

"Still, I feel like we should be using our time more wisely." Max shuffles her feet. "No matter how much or little we have..."

"Max." Chloe says and, to her, her voice sounds too low. Regardless, Max raises her head to properly look at Chloe.

Chloe knew she was taller than Max. Always had been. The difference in height always felt like an advantage to her when it came to certain things. Right now it was a disadvantage. Towering over Max in this proximity made her think of all the cliché movie scenes where the main characters are in the exact same position and end up kissing, followed by confessing their love for each other.

 _I could never be so lucky._

"Don't beat yourself up over this whole saving the world thing, alright?" Chloe finally says. She hopes the sentence doesn't sound as strained as it feels. "We're gonna do this, and we're gonna do it together." She smiles. "Even superheroes need some downtime."

"I can't help it. I-" Max cuts herself off and drops her gaze. Chloe frowns.

 _Could I..._

 _No, bad idea Price. This isn't a video game. Kiss her, and you fuck up everything you've worked so hard to get in the past couple days._

 _But I want to so bad._

Chloe settles for taking Max's hand ( _She's shaking. Baby steps,)_ and locks their fingers together. "I'm right here, okay? I'm not going anywhere. I'll always be with you."

"You promise?" The whisper is so soft, Chloe almost isn't sure if she heard it.

It takes her back to that day five years ago when they were splayed out in the grass of Chloe's backyard. She felt fourteen again. Before her father died, before Max had left, before she met Rachel... Before everything that could possibly go wrong _did_.

Chloe moves her hand, Max's hand still in hers, and draws an 'x' over her heart.

"Forever."

 **...**

 _'Just so you know, I can't be your friend.'_

 _'Why not?'_

 _'That's just the way it is.'_

Chloe holds in a groan of boredom as she reclines against the back of her truck. Max had the bright idea to turn the truck around and open the flat bed, taking a blanket from the front seat and laying it out for them to sit on as they watched the movie. Two cups of soda, a large popcorn, and a few bags of various candy sit between Chloe's right leg and Max's left.

"So, wait." Chloe whispers. Max, who is all into the movie, tilts her head towards Chloe to let her know she's listening. "That chick is the vampire?"

"Mhmm." Max hums.

"What is she, like, twelve?"

"Are you gonna ask questions or are you going to watch the movie?" Max jokes.

Chloe readies herself to give a smart ass reply when she notices that Max has her arms wrapped around herself and has huddles inward. Chloe snaps the remark back and instead says, "You cold?"

"J-just a little." Max stutters through her teeth.

Chloe sits up and pulls her 'Bring Me The Horizon' hoodie over her head, leaving herself in a black and gray tank for a top. She nudges Max with her foot and, when she looks back, holds the article of clothing out to her.

"Oh, n-no, it's-" she begins. Chloe's chuckle interrupts her.

"Just take it." she says.

Max blinks and smiles thankfully, taking the hoodie from Chloe's hands. Their fingers brush against each other and she tenses briefly, unsure if Max noticed. Max tugs the hoodie over her head and puts her arms through the sleeves. Her fingers barely show, giving away that it's too big for her. She doesn't seem to mind, though, as she burrows herself in Chloe's clothes and sighs contentedly. The hoodie smells like her, a mix of weed and Axe Excite which was Chloe's favorite body wash.

Chloe folds her arms behind her head and leans back again.

 **...**

When the credits start to role, Chloe stretches and cracks her neck. "You know, that movie wasn't half bad, Ma- Max?"

Chloe realizes that Max is asleep when she looks over at her. She's curled up against the back, her arm covering the lower half of her face. Chloe's stomach twisted.

 _Goddamn it._

Chloe gets on her knees and carefully hooks her arms under Max's knees and shoulders, inching her way to the edge of the flatbed and somehow maneuvering herself so that she was in a sitting position. She slides off onto her feet and walks around to the passenger side of the car. She opens the door (after a bit of struggle) and places Max inside.

She proceeds to clean up the truck and takes out her phone to check the time. It's 11:54.

 _And she has the audacity to get on me about falling asleep on her while watching a movie._

She folds up the blanket and puts it in the space between her and Max as she gets in. She starts up the truck and drives off in the direction of Blackwell Academy.

By the time she gets there it's well after midnight and waaaaay after Max's curfew. Chloe is sure that she can get Max to her dorm, and lucky for her it's not David's night to patrol. Chloe reaches over to Max and feels around her pockets for her keys. She takes them out when she finds them, twirling them on her finger as she goes around to pick Max up in her arms.

Max isn't very heavy so Chloe doesn't have much trouble carrying her across campus to the girl's dorms. She fumbles with the front knob before getting it open and uses her foot to close it behind her.

 _What room was it again? 219?_

Chloe heads down the hallway until she comes across Max's room and puts the key in the lock. She gets the door open and shuffles inside. She lays Max down on her bed and places her keys on the nightstand next to her bed. She stands there for a minute, awkwardly, and starts to leave. She pauses at the doorway and looks over her shoulder.

 _Fuck it._

She closes the door with her inside and goes to Max's couch, cleaning it off. She kicks her sneakers off and lays down on the couch. It's not very comfortable, but she'll manage. She forces a smile in Max's direction.

 _Goodnight, SuperMax._

 **...**

 **Soooo, what do you think so far? I'm trying to get better, honest! Next chapter will start with Max.**

 **CaptainVampireQueen awaaaay!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here we are again! Sorry for taking so long, I've been enjoying the transition into summer :)**

 **...**

Max groans softly and slowly stretches herself out before curling up again. She unintentionally burrows herself deeper into what she doesn't know is Chloe's hoodie right away. She is only partially awake and can barely register the faint smell of weed and Axe Excite flowing effortlessly into her nose. She takes a deep breath and smiles in her sleep. The hint kicks in.

 _Mmm...Chloe..._

She knows she has to get up soon, but she fears the moment will be ruined. She loves being wrapped up in the warmth of Chloe. It's soothing and feels more like home than anywhere Max has been, even with her parents. She nuzzles deeper and moans tiredly when her alarm chooses that moment to go off. Max slowly drags her arm away from her face and reaches over to her nightstand. She taps around a bit, confused when she can't feel her phone. It's then that she realizes there's a dull buzz in her pocket.

 _What's my phone doing in my pocket..._

Max reaches into her pocket and takes her phone out. She holds it up to her face and opens her eyes a slit. She blinks and squints against the sudden invasion of light and it takes a couple tries to find the 'x'. She puts her phone on the dresser and rubs her eyes to clear the sleep from them with little success. She blinks more to fix her vision. Her room comes into focus and Max sighs.

 _Welcome home, Max._

The young photographer turns over onto her back and notices that Chloe isn't there in her bed. A still slightly disoriented Max looks around and her eyes catch a familiar shade of blue painted in her peripheral vision. A second look confirms that it's Chloe, passed out on Max's small couch. Her arm is over her head resting on the armrest of the couch and her other arm is hanging off the side. Her legs are crossed one over the other and her expression is not entirely peaceful. A look that seems to be rare to find in place of Chloe's ever-so-pissed-off face. Her hair is very disheveled, like she spent half the night running her hand through it stressfully.

Max's heart sinks a bit.

 _No way that was comfortable._

A thought of why Chloe didn't crash with her in her bed crosses her mind. Yes, the bed was relatively small but Max never minded that when they were younger and Chloe would spend the night at her house. Chloe was a secret cuddler and Max was a total blanket hog. Not a bad combination if Chloe decided to cuddle before Max took over the blanket. The two of them wrapped up in their shared cocoon. Max feels a tug in the pit of her stomach.

Slowly, the memories of the night before begin flooding into her mind. Max glances down, remembering that she had the bluenette's hoodie and solving the mystery of why she could smell her in her sleep. A small smile graces her lips as she turns to let her legs hang off the edge of the bed. She lets her feet dangle for a second before finally standing up and properly stretching. For once when she looks in the mirror she doesn't look like a zombie. She looks back to Chloe, biting her lip.

 _Should I wake her up?_

Max decides against it. She thinks that if Chloe isn't awake by the time she comes back from a shower, she'll wake her up then. She slightly steps to her mini closet and grabs her shower supplies and a set of clothes. Then she heads to the showers.

 **...**

 _'Owen, do you like me?'_

 _'Yeah. A lot.'_

 _'Would you still like me... even if I wasn't a girl?'_

 _'What do you mean? I don't know. I guess. Why?'_

 _'No reason.'_

The movie night successfully resurfaces in Max's mind when the hot water completely wakes her up, and that specific scene refuses to leave her alone. She knows exactly why but has a problem embracing it.

That's how she felt when she gave in and told Chloe about her power. She may be her best friend (again) but that didn't mean she wouldn't call someone if she thought Max was losing her mind.

Or drop her like a rock.

That's what scared Max the most.

How do you react when someone you love and care about comes to you and tells you that they can rewind time and see visions of an impending tornado? She really thought that Chloe would laugh in her face and leave right then and there. But she didn't, and for that Max was hella grateful.

 _Haha, hella._

Maybe Chloe was becoming a good bad influence on her already.

Max shuts off the water and dries herself off with a towel, reaching just outside the curtain to grab her clothes and put them on. She chooses to put Chloe's hoodie back on and she leaves the bathroom.

When she opens the door to her dorm she's not really surprised to find Chloe still sleeping. She smiles to herself and puts her shower things away before kneeling down beside Chloe.

"Chloe?" she says in a soft, singsong voice.

The bluenette doesn't react verbally, but her eyebrows twitch for a second. Max pokes her cheek.

" _C'mon_ , Chloe." Her voice is a little louder and she's rewarded with a tired moan from Chloe. "Gotta get up."

"Mmm... five more minutes..." Chloe barely mumbles. Her arm above her head drops down to feebly smack Max's prodding finger away. Max giggles.

"Alright, Captain, you can have your five more minutes." Max says. "Your first mate has to abandon ship for her classes. I'll be back in about an hour and a half."

She doesn't know if it's her imagination when Chloe's mouth twitches into a small smile. She stands straight up and grabs her bag at the foot of her bed and her phone from the nightstand. Max casts another glance and a smile at Chloe before leaving for her Calculus class.

 **...**

"Totally diggin' that hoodie, Max." Warren compliments when Max walks into class. It makes Max blush slightly. "Where'd you get it?"

"Oh, it's, um, not mine." Max sets her bag on the floor at the desk beside Warren and sits down. "It's my best friend's."

"I think I remember you mentioning her. Chloe, right?" Warren said, then smiles. "Is she the reason you turned me down for the Planet of the Apes marathon?"

Max blushes darker but laughs. "No." is what she says, but it's not what she feels. There's that tug in her stomach again.

"Alright, class," the teacher, Mrs. Miller says as she walks in to her desk, silencing whatever was going to be left of Max and Warren's conversation.

Max finds it a little difficult to concentrate in class, so she takes out her journal and begins writing and sketching pictures to go with her retelling of the day before. She would've done in last night, but nature had other plans and she fell asleep too soon. At least she had Chloe to bring her back safely to her dorm.

 **...**

 _~Riiiiing!~_

The bell rings, signaling the end of class.

 _Finally_. Max thinks as she tucks her journal away safely and gathers the rest of her stuff.

"So, uh, Max." Warren says. He slings his backpack over his shoulder and looks at her.

"Yeah?" Max says.

"Just so you know, I... I can buy a ticket for you in case you change your mind."

 _Is he blushing?_

Max tries not to make it obvious that she's eyeing him curiously, and he doesn't seem to notice. "Oh, um, I can let you know. Later. I'm a little busy right now with" - _No, don't tell him...-_ "projects for classes and stuff."

Warren nods. "That's fine, just let me know." He smiles at her and waves as he leaves the room.

 _Nice one, Max._

Max sighs and picks up her bag. She starts in the direction of the dorms, taking out her phone to shoot Chloe a text.

 **Max:** **if you're not up by the time i get there no breakfast for you**

She looks up from her phone in time to see Victoria and Nathan walk by her. They don't look in her direction, and they look deep in conversation. She's thankful for that. She's not in the mood to get double teamed by the blonde and rich demons of Arcadia Bay. A chime from her phone draws her attention away from the retreating Vortex Club members and she looks at it. It's Chloe.

 **Chloe: you speak the language of my stomach Mad Max**

Max laughs.

 **Max:** **you have six minutes**

 **Chloe: god youre cruel**

 **Max: lol you dont seem to mind ;)**

 **Chloe: scratch that youre downright evil**

 **Chloe: i'm gonna start charging you for each emoji you send**

Max rolls her eyes with a smile and tucks her phone away as she exits the school. She crosses the campus and gets to her dorm in time to catch Chloe tugging her boots onto her feet. The punk looks up and smiles brightly. Max ignores the shiver that goes down her spine.

"There's the girl of the hour." she says.

"You actually got up, I'm shocked." Max teases.

Chloe sits back and tilts her head. "You underestimate my motivation when it comes to free food. _Especially_ free breakfast."

"Whoever said I was paying?" Max says. She sits on the bed across from Chloe and takes her bag off.

"You wouldn't of offered if you weren't." Chloe says with a sly wink.

Max can feel a blush rising in her cheeks and looks down, fiddling with her fingers. She could feel the intense weight of Chloe's gaze on her.

"You're still wearing my hoodie." Chloe points out. Her voice sounds intrigued and amused at the same time.

"Oh. Yeah." Max smiles impulsively. She can't help it. "It...um...it smells a lot like you. I didn't want to take it off."

Max's teeth clamp down on her lower lip. She needs to stop talking. Especially since she doesn't know where this sudden honesty is coming from. She stands up and forces herself to look at Chloe. "Anyway, breakfast right?"

The expression on Chloe's face shifts to relief. She nods and stands up as well. "After you."

 **...**

 **Argh, sorry for being late. I was grounded and couldn't use the computer. I was also cross posting this story on AO3. Hope you guys enjoyed this unfortunately short chapter, I fell low on ideas to continue it. But the next chapter will be longer, I promise!**

 **CaptainVampireQueen awaaay!**


	4. Flashback Intermission (Note Inside)

**My apologies on taking so long with this. When the urge to write This Side of Paradise hit, I had to start writing it and then I wanted to catch ouit up to where this story is. I also received a couple of reviews (on AO3) that wondered why I was rewriting the last chapter when they liked it. So I think I'll just leave it alone.**

 **...**

 _*Ten years ago*_

 _"Mommy, can I go play on the swing?"_

 _Joyce Price looked down at her nine-year-old daughter, who tugged on her shirt. Chloe was giving her the puppy dog eyes, which made her laugh. Joyce looked up at her husband, William. He smiled back at her and shrugged, looking at Chloe._

 _"Alright, but don't go anywhere else." Joyce said after a second._

 _Chloe grinned and let go of her mother's shirt, running off towards the swings. There was one left. Chloe loved the swings. She loved going as high as she could go and imagining that she was flying. She could reach out and pretend she was touching the sky. With her eyes closed, Chloe pretended she could see the whole world in her mind's eye from her own little swing. Her feet pounded against the chips of wood on the playground, and they were kicked up into the air at her determined speed._

Made it! _she thought as her hand closed around the chain. Though out of breath, Chloe grinned victoriously._

 _She hopped up into the seat, smiling at the low creak of the metal taking her weight. Her toes just barely skimmed the ground and she swung her legs forward. The swing pulled with her and she kicked her legs back. She laughed at the way the wind made her hair brush against her face and in front of her eyes. Her toe scraped the ground with each swing forward and back. Her laughter grew._

 _Just as Chloe was about to let one of the chains go to reach for the sky, a third hand grabbed the chain and jerked it back. Chloe yelped as the swing came to an abrupt halt and her back slammed into something behind her. Her expression turned to anger and she turned her head to see who had the nerve to interrupt her fun. It was a boy. He had scraggly blonde hair and brown eyes that read he thought of himself as powerful. His face was a sneer and his other hand was in a fist at his side._

 _"Get up." he said._

 _"Who do you think you are?" Chloe said. Despite her heart starting to pound in her chest, she wasn't about to back down to some brat._

 _"Are you stupid?" the boy said. His sneer deepened. "I said get up."_

 _"I was here first." Chloe said. "Wait your turn."_

 _The boy growled under his breath and shook the chain slightly. "You have no idea who I am, or what you're messing around with!"_

 _Chloe started to say something back, but she saw a flash of brown hair from behind the boy. Chloe leaned over in time to see a girl, the owner of thebrown hair, step in sight behind the boy._

 _"Leave her alone!"_

 _The boy flinched and turned around to look at her. Even from where she was, Chloe could clearly see the fright but determination in the girl's blue eyes. The girl stepped forward and the boy let the swing go._

 _"What are you gonna do?" the boy taunted. "You're just a girl."_

 _The girl frowned angrily. "She was there first, I saw her. You have to wait your turn."_

 _Chloe's eyebrows raised in surprise. This girl watched her run to the swing? The boy walked up to the girl. He practically towered over her and Chloe saw her foot slip backwards. She was scared. The boy's hands were moving back and forth like he was debating whether or not to do something. Chloe took a deep breath and stood up from the swing. Her feet moved on their own accord, carrying her over to where they were. She stepped around so she was beside the girl and shoved the boy back._

 _"Back off." she said._

 _He stumbled back and his eyes went ablaze with anger. He looked between Chloe and the other girl, breathing heavily. "You're gonna regret this one day." he said. "Never mess with a Prescott."_

 _The kid ran off and Chloe let her arms relax. She gave her attention to the girl, who's expression became one of relief. She looked up at Chloe, though there was only about and inch or so difference in height. "Thank you." she said._

 _"No problem. That was an epic win." Chloe grinned and held her hand out to the girl. "I'm Chloe. Chloe Price."_

 _The girl looked at her hand for a second before taking it. She returned the smile. "Max Caulfield."_

 **...**

 **Okay, I'm sorry to cut this chapter soooo short, but I pretty much screwed myself over with this story when I tampered with the timelines. So I might have a bit of rewriting to do after all. So I'll give you this brief flashback scene until I get this all straightened out :) The struggles of being a writer, right? Sorry guys.**

 **CaptainVampireQueen awaaay!**


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